behind hazel eyes
by tatty ted
Summary: Rachel Mason always had an understanding with her pupils, that's what made her a great headteacher. When she meets Charly Dawson and her siblings, she knows through their body language that something's not right. And it's not going to be long before one of them exposes the secrets they've kept for years. - —Rachel/OC. /Warning: Child abuse, incest, language.
1. CHAPTER I

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**behind hazel eyes  
**_falling a thousand feet per second._

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The slam of the bedroom door startles Charly and she groans, rolling over to stare at the clock. As the figures stare back at her, she mutters a swear word underneath her breath realising it's too early for her family to be arguing.

She stared at the ceiling as she heard the sound of the chair being pulled out from underneath the table and the footsteps to the bottom of the stairs. There was a silence for a moment until a screech echoed up the stairs.

"Charly up! You, Joe and Kezia are startin' ya's new schools today!"

Hearing her mother's words, she slammed her head against the pillow. School, new school. Oh god she had completely forgotten. Charly got out of bed and walked towards the wardrobe where her new uniform was hanging.

As she picked up the jumper, she traced her fingers along the crest and the writing that said "Waterloo Road" She had heard a lot of awful stories about the school in the short time she'd lived in Rochdale and she was definitely not looking forward to attending.

She banged on the wall nearest to her brother's bedroom; "This is your fault you twat, if you didn't get expelled!"

"Shut up you daft cow!" She heard her brother reply. He was ten months older than Charly, ten months yet he thought he owned her. When she was ready and packed up her school bag for the day, she went downstairs and into the living room.

Her mother was sat in the armchair, flicking cigarette ash into an overflowing ashtray, "Mam, lend us a tenner yeah?"

"Ain't got no money, ask Joe he's bound to have somethin'."

Charly rolled her eyes at her mother. She often said she didn't have any money but Charly knew her mother was up to something, her mother and Joe. He was the oldest after all.

"Joe! Mam says I've gotta take a tenner of ya."

The sound of heavy footsteps came down the stairs and Joe stood in front of Charly, his shirt hanging out and several of his buttons undone. He smelt of aftershave and Charly knew he was out to impress. Being a bad boy, he often found girls _falling_ at his feet.

"I ain't givin' you 'out."

"Mam tell him!" Mrs Dawson rolled her eyes at her two eldest children and took a drag of her cigarette. She allowed silence to fall upon the two of them before she answered; "Pack it in the pair of yas. I've got a righ' headache, Joe give ya sis' some money and shut her up."

Joe flashed the V's behind his mother's back, produced ten pounds from his back pocket and handed it to Charly. As she took it from his grasp, he grabbed her arm and warned her;

"Try an' keep your gob shut kid, otherwise bad stuff's gonna start 'appening."

She pulled her arm free from her brother's grasp. She was sick of the threatening behaviour. If he learnt to behaviour, none of them would've had to leave their home and school, the school she loved to pieces.

"Ya threatening me? Do me a favour Joe an' piss off."

He slammed her into the wall; "Don't believe me? Cross me kid." He clenched his hand and punched the wall beside Charly. She didn't even flinch she was that used to being on the receiving end of Joe's temper, more so since their father died.

Kezia, their thirteen year old sister walked down the stairs, her short school skirt barely covering her thighs. Joe's eyes almost popped out of his head as his eyes rolled over the body of his little sister.

"Pull that skirt down now ya slag!" She ignored him and went to walk past him. He didn't take too kindly to being ignored and grabbed the top of Kezia's arm,

"I swear to God yous best start listenin' otherwise ya both gonna get battered, you hear?"

The two sister's looked at each other, swallowed hard and nodded. They understand _exactly_ what would happen if they didn't follow their brother's instructions. They didn't think they'd be able to hack it anymore.

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**jottings** — new waterloo road story, god i haven't watched waterloo road in forever. roughly set during series 3 or something, not really too sure on the timeline myself but it's a rachel fic. if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	2. CHAPTER II

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**CHAPTER TWO**.  
_ran from the noise, ran away._

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"So..." The school's nothing special, shabby and that. In fact Charly could describe the school in stronger terminology but if her brother heard, she'd be swallowing a bar of soap for tonight's dinner, "What brings you to Waterloo Road?"

The Headteacher of the school, a Miss Mason is quite pretty Charly notes. She's got brown hair and hazel eyes and Charly doesn't understand how someone so pretty can not be married. She doesn't know how to answer the question, neither of them _really_ wanted to come here.

She remains silent for a moment before she shrugs her shoulders. Her brother glares at her and stares at Kezia. Kezia nervously swallows then whispers; "We—we moved here from—"

Joe rolls his eyes and places his hand on Kezia's thigh. Kezia freezes for a moment and Rachel takes a mental note about the behaviour of all three of the Dawson children and can't help but feel something wasn't right.

Joe turned to Rachel, looked her in the eye and smiled; "What my sister's are trying to say is that we moved here because our father died. I, _we_ decided it was best to live elsewhere."

The personality of all three couldn't be different. Rachel knew Charly would be a real handful, most likely had a self-destruct button. Joe, he was good looking but manipulative whereas Kezia was quiet and shy.

"None of you have what I would call good records from your previous school. Would you care to explain why?"

She looked at Charly first who took it as her cue to talk; "Well, I weren't very good at keepin' ma gob shut. We're good kid 'ough, proper good kids. Ain't we Joe, Kez? We won't be no trouble or nuffin'."

Rachel nodded her head and accepted the explanation for now. She wasn't one to show children the door, she wanted to turn Waterloo Road into a good school and if that meant trying to shape the behaviour of the Dawson children, so be it.

"If you like to follow me, I'll show you around the school and your form rooms."

/

Joe was the first to be shown his form room. He was with Mr Clarkson, an English teacher and in year eleven. He didn't like the look of his tutor but he kept his mouth shut and sat down in the front row.

Kezia was the second to be shown their form room. Rachel put her with Miss Haydock, a loud middle-aged woman who couldn't control the class. Kezia, with her skirt still short, didn't speak as she walked towards the back of the classroom and sat down at the unoccupied desk.

It was only as Rachel was taking Charly to her form room that she decided to have a conversation. That way, she might be able to find more out about the Dawson's. She could tell that Charly was probably the one who'd break the most, her or Kezia.

"Your sibling's seem like a right handful."

Charly heard what Rachel was saying and shrugged her shoulders, "Can be, 'specially Joe, thinks he owns ya and all that."

"Do you get on well?"

"Narr, can't stand each other, 'ate the guts of 'em." She noted Rachel's expression and laughed nervously, "I'm kiddin' cause we don't get on. We're siblings, we figh', we argue. We love each other to pieces 'ough."

"Your brother and sister look close."

Charly stopped suddenly in the corridor. Rachel stopped and looked at Charly. She noticed she'd gone pale and Rachel touched her arm gently, "Charly?"

"Look, I don't know what ya tryin' say but there's nout dodgy 'bout Joe and Kez. They're close alright? Proper close but that don't mean they're havin' sex or 'out."

Rachel frowned but didn't say anything. She knew there was something about those three children, something that wasn't right. As Charly walked into her form room, Rachel knew she'd stumbled upon something much bigger than she'd ever stumbled upon before.

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**jottings** — if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	3. CHAPTER III

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**CHAPTER THREE**.  
_there's no other way._

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"You 'member what I said?" She swallows hard, his hand still on her thigh. She hates his touch, how he can have his wicked way with her when she doesn't want anything to happen. She hates him, hates the feelings she gets because of him.

"I 'member what you said, don't worry, I won't say nuffin'."

/

She was in a world of her own, staring at the desk whilst scratching a word with her compass. She was in the middle of French, a lesson that she hated so much and yet took for GCSE because it was something she was adviced to take.

She heard her name being called and she turned around, her eyes falling upon Miss Haydock who procceeded to ask her a question in French. Charly sighed deeply and rolled her eyes, "I dunno what ya's asked."

"Why take a French GCSE, if you cannot speak the language?"

"Errrr," Charly began, "Teacher's like you, proper going on with yaselves. "Ooh, you must get a GCSE, it'll help with jobs and you'll be able to move abroad and stuff." No offence love but if I can get a GCSE that enables me to leave this shithole, the better."

Because of the use of inappropriate language during the language, Charly was made to stand outside for a short period of time. She stood with her back against the wall, biting her lower lip hoping her brother wouldn't walk by and find her outside the lesson.

Instead she saw Miss Mason and she stood up straight, wondering how she was going to explain the situation.

"It's Charly isn't it?" Charly nods as Rachel stops in front of her, "Why are you out here?"

She laughs nervously, "I—I swore and she," She nodded to the teacher in the classroom, "Sent me out. Don't know why 'cos I didn't swear at 'er or nout. Now I'm stuck out 'ere with nout to do."

"You still swore Charly and this is a consequence." There was a pause, "Now go inside and apologise."

Charly rolled her eyes and nodded. She opened the door to the classroom and apologised to Miss Haydock for using inappropriate language. Personally, she didn't think it was inappropriate, Rochdale really was a shithole.

For the reminder of the lesson, she sat quietly in her seat trying to answer the questions to the worksheet they'd be left to do. If she was honest, it wasn't _that_ difficult considering Charly couldn't speak the language.

As the bell rang, she was completing her stuff and placing them in her bag when the door flung open.

"Excuse me, I don't—"

"Shut up, I'm 'ere for ma sis'." Joe stormed over to wear Charly was sat and stood beside the desk. Charly made eye contact with him, her breathing becoming heavier. She knew she was in trouble, it was written all over his face.

"Which part of 'keep ya fuckin' gob shut don't ya get?'"

"Joe plea—" She was unable to finish her sentence when he grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the chair. He dug his nails into her arm and she fought against him, trying to wrestle out of his grip.

"Joe, not here." They'd attracted the attention of the class and even Miss Haydock didn't know what to do, "Come on, let's go."

He dragged her towards the door. She breathed in deeply trying to regain control of her breathing hoping he wasn't going to do something stupid. She knew it was pointless to try and pray, she was getting what Joe thought was appropriate for the situation.

He took her to an empty corridor and threw her against the wall, "Ya never gonna learn, are ya?"

"Learn what?"

"To keep," He punched her in the mouth, "That fuckin' shut!" Feeling his fist collide with her mouth, she closed her eyes. She was used to the beatings now, she'd had plenty ever since their father passed away three months before.

"What've I done?"

"Grass, that's what yas done." Charly frowned, she didn't know who'd she'd "grassed" too.

"I ain't done nout." Another punch in the mouth took her breath away. She touched her lip with her fingers to find blood staring back at her. She sighed and stared at her brother. There was nothing but anger in his eyes and she brought her knee to his privates.

He keeled over for a minute and she knew this was her chance to escape. She went to run but he got her by the arm and pulled her back towards him. He smirked as he threw his younger sister into the wall and began to hit her, not stopping until she was unconscious.

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**jottings** — if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	4. CHAPTER IV

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**CHAPTER FOUR**.  
_chill out, what you yellin' for?_

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Charly stumbled down the corridor, bruised and beaten. She knew she had to find a toilet to tidy herself up in and she knew where one set of toilets were. As she walked along, she touched her lip every now and then.

She ached, her whole body ached and in a weird way, it was a comfort to her. Every time he beat her unconscious, it was his sad way of saying he loved her. She laughed hysterically as she stumbled into the wall and dropped her school bag.

The contents of her bag fell out and as she bent down to retrieve them, her hand brushed past the cold metal of the knife. She smiled softly and knew when she was planning to use it. This day she'd been planning for months.

Charly put everything back in her bag and turned around. She bumped, quite literally into Miss Mason and she sighed deeply knowing the thing question she was going to ask. Charly knew that she was the one teacher who regularly walked the corridors for skiving pupils.

"What an earth happened to you?"

Charly had a second to think of her feet, "Nout miss, some girls jumped me that's all, wanted me money and that."

"That needs seeing too."

"I'm fine Miss, honest. I can sort it out meself, been in 'nuf fights." She walked on without waiting for Miss Mason to tell her it was okay to leave. She reached the girls bathroom and placed her handbag down on the sink and stared at her reflection.

He'd done her good and proper, battered her like he said he would. She knew he had to pay, she couldn't hold the secrets inside anymore. She zipped open her bag and pulled out the knife. Charly ran her fingers along the blade and smiled.

This should be fun.

/

He was sat in English, not really paying attention to the book they'd been made to read. Apparently, according to his English teacher it was important to study this text as it came up in GCSE's. He sighed deeply and closed his book, leaning against his chair.

The door flung open and Joe looked to the classroom door at the commotion. He saw his sister and frowned, what the—

Before he even had chance to ask that question, his sister pinned him to the wall, a knife pressed against his neck. There was a silence between the two of them. Joe was lost for words and Charly was, ever so slightly losing her nerve.

"You gonna tell 'em ya bastard!" She shouted, "Ya gonna tell 'em what you do to ya sisters."

"Shut up ya crazy whore, put the knife down and we'll talk, alrigh'?"

"Narr I'm done chattin'." She pressed the knife deeper into his throat. Mr Budgen had avacuated the classroom and told one of the pupils to reach Miss Mason. She stared at her brother and saw for the first time, fear in his eyes.

"Scared?" She asked and laughed hysterically, "Fuckin' scared. Look at me Joe, look at how fuckin' pretty your whore is now. Tell 'em, tell 'em you bastard what you did to me, go on. Tell 'em that you're a fuckin' kiddie fiddler, GO ON!" She screamed and brought her knee to his privates.

He doubled over in agony, tears threatening to spill from his eyes, "Please Charly, put the knife down, we'll talk."

"No!" She pinned him against the wall again. It was at that moment that Rachel walked into the classroom. She saw Charly and Joe and the knife and knew she had to get Charly to calm down.

"Charly?"

Charly turned to the voice, "Don't try talkin' me outta this, he needs to—" She couldn't bring herself to say the word dead despite everything he'd done to her. She still loved him.

"Tell her Joe, tell her what you did." He reminded silent, the knife pressed against his throat. She pressed it deeper, the cut expanding and bleeding more. She smiled at the sight of blood, the colour red was a calming influence over her.

When he didn't answer, Rachel spoke to Charly again; "Come on Charly, give me the knife and we'll talk."

"Shut up, otherwise this knife will go into you, got it?" She didn't want to hurt Rachel but this, her holding her brother hostage was the only way she'd be able to do it. She knew if her brother didn't die, she would. That's the game life plays.

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**jottings** — if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	5. CHAPTER V

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**CHAPTER FIVE.**  
_i took your words and believed._

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"Go on, tell her."

He continued to ignore her and it just made Charly more angry. She wanted to burst into tears, to reveal her secrets and for someone to tell her it was all going to be okay and it wasn't her fault.

"You see this cunt, this bastard, 'e raped us. 'e raped his own sisters." There was a gasp and she continued pressing the knife deeper into his throat,

"Charly, listen to me. Listen, what are you going to achieve doing this? He'll be dead if you kill him." Rachel paused, she hoped that by making Charly see the other options she had in front of her, she'd be able to stop some harm coming to them both, "What do you want?"

"I want 'im to pay for what he done to me and Kez. I want 'im to pay, die. Somethin' that means I don't 'ave to lie no more, I can't lie no more Miss, it 'urts."

Charly was distracted for a moment and Joe saw that as his chance to escape. He pushed Charly away from him and she dropped the knife. It hit the floor with a clang and he kicked it further away so she was unable to reach it.

Charly looked at Rachel, "You bitch!" She screamed and tried to attack Rachel. Rachel just held her until she stopped fighting and broke down in tears, crying for the secrets she'd just revealed. The secrets she couldn't bare to hold anymore.

/

"How long?"

She leaves the question to linger for a moment, pinging the elastic band that's on her wrist. She looks up, her eyes red raw from crying and stares at Rachel for a moment or two,

"Seven, maybe eight years."

"And your parents knew?" Charly shrugged her shoulders. Truth be told she couldn't be certain that they did now. She knew it was always suspicious, her and her brother and sister covered in blood and bruises but did they really not know what was going on under their own roof?

"I didn't wanna say 'out."

"How come?" There was another pause, "I didn't wanna be responsible for breaking up the family."

Rachel looked at the young girl. She was fifteen years old and yet she'd had one heck of a rough life. She touched her arm gently but Charly flinched and moved her arm away from Rachel's touch, "Will I 'ave to talk to the coppers?"

Rachel nodded and Charly sighed. Despite everything he'd done to her, Charly didn't want to grass on him. She didn't want to get him into trouble because he was still her brother, and siblings looked out for each other right?

There was a gentle knock on the office door and two police officers stood there. Rachel stood up to leave when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked down at the lost little girl where nothing was spoken for a second.

"Will ya stay with me Miss, I don't wanna do this on ma own."

Rachel smiled sadly, nodded her head and sat back down. This girl was going to need all the support she could find.

/

She stares up at the building of Waterloo Road and sighs. She'd been a pupil for less than a day and so much had happened. She couldn't go back, she couldn't stay in Rochdale. She'd be known as the girl who was abused by her own brother.

She feels sad inside, knowing that Waterloo Road despite the stories was a good school. If Charly was honest, coming here was the best decision she ever made because it enabled her to reveal her secrets and move on.

And that's what she was going to do.

Taking another deep breath, she zipped up her jacket, put her bag over her shoulder and turned around. As she walked towards the gates, she knew this was it. This was the beginning of the rest of her life.

And she couldn't be happier.

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**jottings** — so many ideas and not enough time to write. thank you to the people who favourited/alerted/reviewed, it means an awful lot. this story was probably set during series 3 but i'm not too sure, i'm just addicted to writing Rachel stories at the moment:3


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